Kenya Is Among 7 Global Restoration Projects Creating 500K Jobs

Kenya Is Among 7 Global Restoration Projects Creating 500K Jobs

Kenya Is Among 7 Global Restoration Projects Creating 500K Jobs

Seven restoration initiatives that would help Kenya and other countries across the world have been unveiled by the UNEP and FAO, the UN’s food and agriculture organization.The UN stated in its release on Tuesday, February 13, that the goal of these initiatives is to rehabilitate habitats that have been badly impacted by wildfires, droughts, pollution, and deforestation.

In addition, the UN hopes to stop, prevent, and reverse the loss of marine and terrestrial life through this effort.Regreening Africa is a project that will include Kenya and intends to restore 5 million hectares by 2030. This initiative involves Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, and Somalia, among other nations.

Within the allotted period, the project is expected to cost roughly Ksh9.3 billion (USD $60 million). Furthermore, it is anticipated that the seven projects will generate roughly 500,000 jobs.Over 600,000 households are also expected to benefit from this effort, which will improve carbon storage, increase crop and grass yields, strengthen soil resilience, and treat the soil with fixed nitrogen, a natural fertilizer.

Kenya will also be part of ‘The Forest Garden Program’. This seeks to restore 229,000 hectares by 2030.Other projects include- The Restoring Mediterranean Forests Initiative, The Living Indus Initiative, The Acción Andina, The Sri Lanka Mangrove Regeneration Initiative, and The Terai Arc Landscape Initiative.

If successful, the seven projects will also result in the restoration of about 40 million hectares of degraded habitats.According to the UN, the Regreening Africa Project was informed by the fact that about 45 per cent of Africa’s land is affected by desertification.

“African productive lands are over half degraded, a problem made worse by climate change. The good news is that restoration projects may aid communities greatly by boosting household incomes and assisting smallholder farmers, according to Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program.Andersen stated at the launch that the goal of these initiatives was to restore the ecosystem that had been harmed as countries strove for economic growth.

Andersen emphasized that it was still possible to undo the consequences, but it would take twice as much work.On the other hand, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu stated that improving the efficiency, inclusivity, resilience, and sustainability of the world’s agrifood systems required the restoration of both land and aquatic ecosystems.

“Ecosystem restoration is a long-term solution in the move to eradicate poverty, hunger and malnutrition, as we face population growth and increased need for foods and ecosystem goods and services,” he said.

This declaration was made in advance of the UN Environment Assembly’s sixth session, which is set to take place at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi from February 26 to March 1. The highest-level environmental decision-making body in the world is UNEA.South Asia, the Mediterranean, and Latin America have also been chosen for the initiatives, in addition to Africa.